• join a HOTS project team

• HareRoles are good at generating ideas and find creative solutions to problems.
• OwlRoles are good at prioritize and plan strategies.
• TurtleRoles are good at finding problems with ideas and strategies.
• SquirrelRoles are methodical and detail-oriented and good at implementing the ideas.

How does one use the HOTS model in the daily work? Simply classify the work your find boring as Hare,Turtle,Owl or Squirrel work. And then out delegate to persons of that role. By doing this, work are moved from people that find it boring to people that find it interesting.

This result in that all people are doing the more of the kind of work that they like, and that result in them being more productive.

• Bridging The Innovation Gap
• Ready, Set, Huddle

A HOTS Speed Meeting is a kind for brainstorming session. It uses the HOTS model to make a more focused brainstorming by making the different type contribute where they are best.

1. Hares, Owls and Turtles are in the meeting room: All are generating a lot of ideas. In this phase it is forbidden to criticize any of the ideas.
2. Owls are in the meeting room: Owls make a prioritised list of ideas to continue to work on.
3. Turtles, Squirrels and Owls are in the meeting room: Turtles and Squirrels start too find problems with the ideas or obstacles to successful implementation. If there is no problems or obstacles goto step 5.
4. Hares and Owls are in the meeting room: Hares start generating new ideas too overcome the problems and obstacles. Goto step 3.
5. All are in the meeting room: All plan launch for fast Squirrel implementation.

After step 5 Squirrels start to implement the plan.

A man named Allen Fahden have studied how to make efficient project teams.

Project teams made by the method he has found is 300-800 % more efficient then project teams made at random.

Basically he has found 4 kind of work included in project work. And the trick is to find out witch team member is best to what kind of work and then make sure that he make mostly that kind of work.

Let the 4 kind of work relate to 4 types of roles. Called Hares, Owls, Turtles, Squirrels and your find out witch type your are by taking the HOTS Survey.

• Hares are good at generating ideas and find creative solutions to problems.
• Owls are good at prioritize and plan strategies.
• Turtles are good at finding problems with ideas and strategies.
• Squirrels are methodical and detail-oriented and good at implementing the ideas.

Further reading.

• HOTS Survey
• HOTS Speed Meeting
• Allen Fahdens site
• Ready, Set, Huddle
• Bridging The Innovation Gap

-- SvendSrensen - 02 Dec 2005